MINUTES of the Parish Council Meeting held in the School, Back Lane, Newburgh on Wednesday, 25th February 2009 commencing at 7.30pm.
PRESENT Cllr. Mrs J. Citarella, Chair.
Cllrs. Mrs C. Gillard, C.D. Moore, Mrs J.M. O’Keefe, R.E. Porter, Mrs R.J. Richardson, A. Sunderland and
Mrs M.A. Turner.
Mr B. Howard, Clerk of the Council.
13/09.
APOLOGIES. None were received, all Parish Councillors being present.
14/09.
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS.
Cllr. Porter declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 9a and 9b in that his wife is included in the Schedule of Accounts for Payment in respect of village cleaning and the Cleaning Contract also relates to his wife. He also declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 10 in that he has a personal knowledge of the applicants of planning application 2009/0105, 39, Cobbs Brow Lane.
15/09.
MINUTES of the Parish Council Meeting held on 28th January 2009 were agreed and signed as a correct record.
16/09.
SERVICES, AMENITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
Welcome Pack Distribution.
The updated list is attached.
Membership of W.L.D.C. Standards Committee.
It was RESOLVED not to submit a nomination for membership of the Committee.
West Lancashire Design Awards 2009.
It was agreed that there was no suitable property worthy of nomination.
Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition 2009.
It was RESOLVED to enter the Competition for 2009.
Calor Village of the Year Competition.
It was agreed to examine the entry form and guidelines with a view to considering whether or not to submit an entry for 2009. A decision will be made at the next Parish Council Meeting.
It was RESOLVED to produce the next edition mid March 2009 with input to the Clerk by 9th March 2009.
Open Gardens.
It was RESOLVED to again hold this event with an agreed date of 12th July 2009. It was agreed that, if they participate, the revenue obtained from serving teas at Augusta, Course Lane, can be donated to Christ Church funds.
There may be an opportunity for Newburgh School and the Red Apple Community Nursery to become involved.
A letter will be sent to those who have agreed to open their garden giving them the agreed date and seeking their firm commitment. A meeting will be held nearer the date of the event to discuss details.
17/09.
PARISH PLAN UPDATE.
New Play Area.
A decision on the grant application to the Lancashire Foundation is still awaited. Once this is received, a final financial statement will be produced.
It is anticipated that groundwork will commence during the Easter holiday.
David Heaton, who maintains the Church grounds, has agreed to cut the grass during the season and remove leaves in the autumn. The agreement with Mr Heaton will operate from March to November with a cost of around £10 per hr. The frequency of work and other details will be determined based on the experience of the first season.
It was RESOLVED to write to Mr Heaton on this basis.
Website.
Councillors were reminded to submit their updates as quickly as possible.
It was RESOLVED that, at future Meetings, one item will be included on the Agenda encompassing both the Parish Plan and the Values and Visions Action progress under the heading of Work Plan Update.
18/09.
ISSUES RAISED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
No members of the public were present.
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19/09.
VALUES AND VISIONS ACTION PLAN.
The updated Action Plan for 2009 was adopted, copy attached. It was AGREED to now put the current workload items in a similar format. It was RESOLVED to: -
20/09.
CORRESPONDENCE.
The Schedule of Correspondence, copy attached, was NOTED.
The following were discussed: -
b) Storing of Play Area Lease and Licence.
It was RESOLVED that the Clerk should hold these documents.
d) Face to Face Event, 18th March 2009.
It was RESOLVED that Cllr. Mrs O’Keefe would attend on behalf of the Parish Council.
e) W.L.D.C. At Home, 26th March 2009.
It was RESOLVED that Cllr. Porter would attend on behalf of the Parish Council.
21/09.
FINANCE.
a) Accounts for Payment.
It was RESOLVED to pass for payment those Accounts included in the Schedule attached.
b) Inventory.
It was RESOLVED to accept the current Inventory, copy attached to the Agenda.
It was noted that in future, any electronic equipment costs should be written down over two or three years.
c) Yates Playgrounds.
It was RESOLVED to accept the quotation of approximately £350 for essential repairs to the Playing Field perimeter
fence.
d) Insurance Cover.
It was RESOLVED to accept the current insurance cover, copy attached to the Agenda.
e) Cleaning Contract 2009/10.
The Contract with Mrs Shirley Porter, copy attached to the Agenda, was agreed. Mrs Porter is carrying out her
duties in an exemplary manner and it was RESOLVED that the Chair should sign a letter to Mrs Porter expressing
the thanks of the Parish Council for her hard work in keeping the village in such good order.
f) SPID handling.
The Clerk reported that Ian Yates has agreed to maintain the current price at £32 per handling occasion. It was,
therefore, RESOLVED to continue with the present Agreement, copy attached to the Agenda.
g) Expenditure/Budget Statement to end of January 2009.
The Statement, attached to the Agenda, was NOTED.
22/09.
PLANNING.
New Applications.
2008/1145. 1, Pine Close, two-storey extension. No comment.
2009/0003. Vicarage Farmhouse, Course Lane, retention of wall, gates and posts.
The application relates to a Listed Building in the Conservation Area but this is not mentioned in the Design and Access Statement. It is expected that the design proportions and actual materials used are commensurate with the appropriate regulations. The question was raised whether the materials used on the driveway surface comply with the planning requirements in regard to permeability and drainage.
2009/0105. 39, Cobbs Brow Lane, single storey extension to front. No comment.
It was RESOLVED to endorse the above recommendations of the Planning Working Group.
Meetings.
Red Apple Nursery Development Meeting, 24th February 2009.
Cllrs. Mrs Gillard, Mrs Turner and R.E. Porter attended and an outline of the plans was given. A copy of the Business Plan was placed in circulation for information.
Joint Lancashire Minerals and Waste Development Framework, Core Strategy.
Advice has been received from L.C.C. about consultation events taking place to discuss the strategy. It was RESOLVED that Cllrs. Mrs Gillard and R.E. Porter would attend the event at the Woodlands Centre, Chorley on
31st March 2009 and that the first priority for participation in the workshops should be “Managing the Movement of Minerals and Waste”.
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22/09 (continued).
PLANNING (continued)
Meetings (continued).
Open Consultation by Planning Consultant, Strawberry Field, Course Lane on 7th March 2009.
Cllr. Mrs O’Keefe resides opposite the land in question and declared a personal and prejudicial interest. She left the Chamber and played no part in the discussion.
The Clerk explained that Chris Cockwill (Cockwill & Co. Ltd.) had made contact by telephone advising that the owners of the Strawberry Farm, Course Lane, had instructed him to consult with the local community on the potential change of use of the farm shop together with possible use of under utilised land for a small affordable housing development. This Consultation has been arranged for 7th March 2009 between 10.30am and 1.30pm in the farm shop.
Cllrs. Mrs Citarella, Chair, R.E. Porter, Vice-Chairman, and Mrs O’Keefe and Mrs Turner, both residents of Course Lane were immediately advised by telephone giving them prior warning.
Mr Cockwill was told that the Parish Council was certainly interested in knowing about the Consultation and would help to support communication by placing a poster in the village Notice board.
The Chair noted the above observations and said that whatever conclusion the Parish Council reaches on its attitude towards the consultation process, it should be sure that it would stand up to scrutiny at a later date and in particular, if a firm proposal comes forward for consideration.
It was RESOLVED: -
23/09.
REPORT.
W.L.D.C. Charter, Celebration Event, 6th February 2009.
This was attended by the Vice-Chairman and Clerk. A brief outline of the event was given including information about the District Council’s website and the opportunities for the creation of a website for the use of Parish Councils, which would be under their control. It was RESOLVED that our current website meets our requirements and there is no case for switching to the arrangements offered by the District Council.
24/09.
DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING AND ANNUAL PARISH MEETING.
The next Meeting will be held on 25th March 2009 commencing at 7.30pm.
It has been necessary to change the date of the Annual Parish Meeting to 21st May 2009.
An outline of the arrangements was given: -
It was agreed that Councillors would hand deliver the invitation s to residents in an envelope addressed by them
e.g. Residents, Any Street.
Meeting finished at 9.35pm.
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